My Favorite Pharaoh
by BlackDiceGambit
Summary: After visiting an Egypt Specialist to learn of Yami's unknown past, Yugi is let down after not getting the information he wanted. When new translations turn up, Yami and Yugi are in for one hell of a surprise as their world gets turned upside down.


**-Author's Note-**

**xxx:** Signals a scene change.

**_'Italics'_ :** Is, in most cases any mental dialogue between Yami and Yugi

**Aibou** - is what Yami calles Yugi

**Mou** - Is what Yugi calls Yami, short for 'Mou hitori no boku'

**xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx  
**

Yugi smiled as he curled into the fluff of his pillow getting settled in for the evening. Tomorrow was a very special day and Yugi was rather excited about the whole ordeal. Tomorrow, he would be getting to visit a very important Egypt specialist and he would be getting to visit the Specialist's private collection granting him access to a profound amount of information. If there was anyone, this was the person that would have answers about Yami's past.

It was by chance that Anzu had found an article about the Doctor in the newspaper and had showed Yugi. He thanked her profusely, and had emailed the specialist and made arrangements scheduling a visit. A visit which happened to be for tomorrow.

_'Mou? ...I can't sleep...'_ Yugi's thoughts drifted into Yami's mind, his opaque form appearing on the edge of the bed as he was addressed, he watched the other, his expression unreadable, as he peered down at Yugi with his wise violet eyes.

_'Hm? What's wrong Aibou?'_

_'I'm excited...about tomorrow. I mean...this person, this specialist could have the answers to your past. And who knows what else.'_ Yugi smiled, eyes closed as he further snuggled the pillow.

_'Aibou...Please... Don't get your hopes up.'_ Yami's translucent form hesitated for a moment, but reached down and touched Yugi's cheek briefly while his eyes were closed. Yami quickly withdrew before Yugi would open his eyes and catch him in such an intimate act.

_'I know...but you never know. And even if the specialist doesn't have answers exactly pertaining to you, they might have other clues that could lead us to more information...besides, it could still be lots of fun.'_ The petite blonde said with a smile.

_'Mh...Of course.'_ Yami relented.

Yugi grinned and rolled off the bed. It was late and he wanted to get a few hours of sleep before they'd have to wake up and get to the train station. This specialist did not live in Domino and this was a full day's trip, they'd be leaving rather early.

Yami smiled a little as he reclined back on the bed and watched Yugi with mild interest as he undressed and pulled on his night clothes. He watched Yugi's bare chest as he rummaged through his dresser for a tank top, though Yami would have preferred it if Yugi would just sleep without clothes on, though, he'd never voiced the request. Perhaps Yugi was a little put off by his constant presence.

Yugi yawned sleepily as he headed back over to his bed, snuggling beneath the covers. "Night Mou, you should try to get some sleep too." Yugi said aloud rather then using their deeper connection.

_'Aibou?'_

_'Yes?'_ Yugi asked looking up at Yami's opaque form.

_'... ... ... Sweet Dreams...'_

Yugi smiled softly resting his hand over Yami's though his hand went through his and rest on the bed covers, he didn't notice Yami's small grimace. "...You too..."

**xxx**

It had been painfully early and the train ride was unpleasantly long. However, having his friends there was a huge plus. There was enough of them to get their own section of the train car without having to share it with strangers, also a huge plus. The trip seemed a lot shorter than the predicted time had been, but that was always a good thing. They had been chatting, laughing and having a fun, so it was over before they knew it.

"Finally here. Man, I thought that would last forever." Jounouchi yawned and stretched obnoxiously as everyone piled onto the train platform.

"Nope. It was only four hours." Yugi said grinning with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He reached behind him, rummaging through his backpack, pulling out the directions buried somewhere inside, though they were neatly folded and mostly wrinkle free.

Jou rolled his eyes and looked at Honda who seemed to be sleep walking. He nudged his buddy before giving him a brief shove into a light post which seemed to wake him.

"What the hell man?" Honda spazzed as he came to.

"We're here." Jou snickered.

"Oh...thanks." Honda muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Mmhmm. Anytime."

"So, it's just a short trip through town and then we'll be there. C'mon you guys!" Yugi pipped as he started for the nearest main road.

Anzu smiled and tagged behind Yugi closely, while Honda and Jounouchi brought up the rear. She was really happy that Yugi seemed so excited about this whole excursion. Anzu partially felt responsible for his happiness, after all she was the one who had given him the article. If it didn't work out, she'd feel kind of bad for letting him down.

"You know that this Specialist actually specializes in the earlier eras that Yami comes from. Isn't that cool? It really is." Yugi said aloud as he led the way through the relatively desolate town.

"I'm surprised this place had a train station." Jou commented looking at the shops few and far between.

"Mh." Yugi just smiled, nothing could dampen his mood, as they walked deeper into the rural area of Pokeno.

It didn't take too much longer before they arrived. Yugi was surprised to hear Anzu speak up first. He thought that he would be the one to find the house first. "Look there it is. Number 169." Anzu said pointing out a fairly large home.

Yugi could hardly contain himself but he managed to hold his excitement back until they knocked on the door. Until he knocked on the door, he was the first one up the steps.

"Hello?" A tall, slender woman answer the door, a polite smile on her crimson painted lips. She had shoulder length black hair and almond eyes that hid behind small, dark rimmed glasses. The woman couldn't have been any older then twenty five and she had Jounouchi and Honda drooling. The jerks.

Yugi smiled politely. "Oh Hi. I'm Yugi Mouto. I spoke with a on the phone a few days ago... about visiting her collection?"

"Oh. Hello, Yugi. I'm Ms. Reika, and you're right on time. Why don't you come inside?" She offered while stepping aside to let her visitors in.

Reika's eyes dropped down to Yugi's neck, assessing if it were real or fake, but the fact that it was solid gold said something of its origin. She was already making a thorough attempt to date the piece. "So Yugi, over the phone you had said that you had a lot of questions for me?" She asked as she closed the front door behind everyone. "Ah. Here, let's go to my office." Reika suggested, leading the way through a very normal looking home, however as soon as she opened her office door it was like walking into an Egypt exhibit at a museum. Hieroglyphs all over the place, pictures of findings, small stone statues and so much of it encased in glass, elegantly on display. Yugi was speechless.

"Have a seat, please." She smiled and gestured to the chairs in front of her desk. Anzu and Yugi sat while Jou and Honda lurked by the door.

"I was wondering if you could maybe um, date the era of my necklace? It's very, very old and if you can date it...or have a rough idea, what Pharaohs ruled in that time frame? I'd be so grateful."

Reika watched Yugi with interest. "Please, do let me have a closer look." She suggested reaching her hand out waiting for Yugi to place the Sennen item into her hands for a professional evaluation.

Yugi hesitated to hand it over, but he eventually rest the Sennen Puzzle in her palm. Reika examined the golden puzzle taking out a small notebook and scribbling many of the hieroglyphs that she found on it's exterior. "Well you were right about one thing Yugi, this is very old. Honestly I've never really seen anything like it. Would you mind if I keep it for a little while to study a bit better?" She asked looking up at him, but Yugi's reply came so quickly she wondered if he had even heard her question.

"No, I'm sorry. I can't let it out of my sight. It's very dear to me...I'm sorry." Yugi said biting his lip.

Reika nodded in understand, but she had a different suggestion in mind since she was the sort who was always prepared. "I'd like to take some pictures and keep it for a while for a more thorough study, if that's okay instead?"

Anzu rest her hand on Yugi's knee supportively. "It's alright Yugi, I'm sure Ms. Reika will be able to get the information she needs with what she can get from the puzzle today." Anzu cooed leaning to hug Yugi.

Yugi slightly bewildered hugged her back. "Thanks..." He mumbled and shifted around a bit.

"Well, I'll see what I can gather today. Can you leave it with me for a day?" Reika asked adjusted her glasses.

"I would um...really like to stay and watch." Yugi said looking at his beloved puzzle in someone else's hands. It made him cringe internally.

"Alright, that's fine." Reika said with a smile as she opened a few programs on her computer.

Jounouchi and Honda looked at one another. "Hey Yugi, We're going to go into town and get some lunch or something, you don't care, do you?"

"No, that's fine." He shrugged. "I know you guys find this sort of thing boring. Anzu, it's not going to be very interesting, why don't you go and keep Jounouchi and Honda out of trouble."

"That's a good idea... We'll check back in a few hours. C'mon guys." Anzu said standing up and taking charge. It didn't take long for her to lead the boys into the town to go exploring.

Reika was busy researching the puzzle while Yugi sat quietly and watched her work. This is what he had waited for. Despite the agonizing silence, his heart was racing and he could barely sit still.

"Ms. Reika, it's really nice of you to do this free of cost."

"Well you know, it's partially a hobby. But I'm happy that you brought me such an interesting artifact. It's extremely old and I have a good idea what era this is from and I can give you a list of the Pharaohs that ruled within a two hundred year period which I could narrow it down to four or five Pharaohs.

Yugi grinned ear to ear and nodded eagerly. "That would be great. Thank you, Ms. Reika."

A few hours later, Reika had printed out a list with a few sentences of information for each Pharaoh. A few were relatively unheard of, however some had more information than others. It was better than nothing.

"Well here is the list you were looking for." Reika said as she took a seat on the edge of her desk.

Yugi read through it and was totally lost. He needed something else. "Ms. Reika…is there anything else…something maybe about..." he paused, not wanting to sound silly, "...about...rituals from that time period?"

Reika was quiet for a moment. She wondered what he'd want that for, but she wasn't a believer in magic...so she couldn't see the harm in this...well, unless he was sacrificing animals or something. "Well…the only other thing I can think of is some stone etchings I have…they are also within that two hundred year period…" She paused and brushed her hair out of her face. "...I'll get them." Reika said walking off, she disappeared into a back room.

Yugi reached forward and hugged the puzzle to his chest._ 'Mou? Please come here. I need you.'_

_'What is it Yugi? I'm right here. Always.'_

_'Yami…I think that we're close to finding out your origins.'_

_'…Aibou, even I read that list…and nothing was familiar to me. I don't see how a few etchings are going to make any difference.'_ His voice echoed dismally.

_'Well maybe they will give us another clue to finding out your past, Yami. Don't be so pessimistic!'_

_'…Perhaps.'_

Reika carried a few pieces of paper into her office and took a seat. "So, there are a few things written here that may shed some light on the things that you're looking for. It says here that the Pharaoh defeated a great darkness by sealing the darkness away. But in order to seal away the darkness, the Pharaoh had to end his life. However, he placed his soul away in an object of power before both he and the darkness both perished. The darkness did not die, but it too had placed a piece of itself into another object of great power. One of seven objects of power, in fact." She paused for a moment as her almond eyes narrowed a bit. "Yugi, I'm going to need some time to translate this last bit. It could take me a few days. But you know what? I'll call you when I figure out what it says." Reika smiled.

Yugi nodded, "That was very helpful. Thank you, Ms. Reika."

_'Aibou…she told you things we already know. We know of the Sennen Items. Why are you thanking her?'_ Yami asked unhappily.

_'I know. But it would be weird telling her that I already know about that, but …I don't know, maybe there is something we don't know in the bit she hasn't translated and I would hate to insult her...she might think better of telling is if I am a know-it-all.'_

_'Mhh, you are very optimistic, Aibou.'_

_'I have to be because you have little faith that we'll figure out your past, Mou.'_ Yugi said tenderly as he rubbed the puzzle while he stood up to leave.

"I'll be talking to you later in the week, Yugi. Take care until then." Reika said standing up and shaking Yugi's hand.

**xxx**

It had been a few days since his visit to Pokeno, the small town where Ms. Reika lived. A lot had happened in those few days though. Anzu had become uncharacteristically close with Yugi. So close in fact, that they had both agreed to go on a date tonight. Yugi was getting dressed and combing his hair that had zero effect on its natural volume.

The phone rang and Yugi rushed over and picked it up. "Hello? Oh, Hi Anzu. How are you? Good…I'm glad to hear it. So um, movies and dinner right? Great, I'm glad to hear it. I miss you too. I can't wait to see you either, Anzu. I'm really glad we're finally doing this…You mean a lot to me too... Okay…. I'll see you in an hour."

_'Aibou... I'd rather stay here. Can you leave the puzzle while you're out?"_

_'Mouuuuu? What's wrong?'_ Yugi frowned deeply as he set the phone on the receiver.

_'I'd just rather not attend…'_

_'Oh…well. Yami, if that's really what you want.'_

_'Mhh…'_

Yugi was about to speak and as he opened his mouth the phone once again rang._ 'Oh…hold on just a second, Yami.'_ Yugi said as he picked the phone back up.

"Oh. Hello, Ms. Reika. Yes, I'm wearing it right now." Yugi said, his hand curling over the puzzle protectively.

Reika immediately began to speak in Egyptian, reading off what the inscription said. "Ani Ba Atem-" She started.

Yugi stood there and listened as she spoke. He trembled slightly listening to Reika's smooth voice speaking the rough Egyptian words. He closed his eyes his hand wrapping tightly around the puzzle and he felt his heart warm slightly. Reika had finished a moment later with a sigh of relief.

"So. How was that?"

Yugi was silent for a moment but sighed" Reika that was very impressive, but I don't know any Egyptian. What was that anyway?"

"Oh it was something calling the Pharaoh. But I suppose it was silly to read it in Egyptian, but that was the direct translation. I'll email you the information I gathered...Well, that's all that I have so far, but if I find anything else, we'll be in touch. I'm sorry I wasn't more of a help to you, Yugi. If you can think of anything else, please feel free to call me."

"Thank you, for everything. If I can think of anything else, I'll call you, Ms. Reika." Yugi said as he placed the phone back on the receiver.

"Yaimi?" Yugi called to his other half, looking around for the opaque image of his Pharaoh, but he was no where to be seen. "Yamiiaaaaahhhhhh?" Yugi screamed in pain as his whole body seized up, as fire was to surging through his veins. Yugi screamed in pain, falling to his knees. His head was throbbing like nothing he had ever felt before. Yugi weakly clawed at his chest, his heart beating fiercely against his ribcage like a war drum. Yugi screamed with renewed passion as it felt as if he was being torn in two. Like his flesh own flesh was being ripped from his body.

Yugi choked on the air in his lungs, unable to bear the hurt as his whole body seemed to be tearing to pieces. Yugi managed to open his eyes, his face pressed into the wood of the floor. He screamed as a violet gaze met his own, a deeper pitched voice matching his own, the sound was horrifying, as together they both suffered being torn apart. Separating, being rendered in two. As Yugi managed to look in front of himself, Yami's form was staring back at him, more solid than he had ever seen him.

"Oh shit." Yugi gasped and he stared in horror, his body still aching as he laid sprawled out, collapsed on the wood floor of his room. Yami now lying unconscious in front of him. Yugi was soaked in his own sweat, silent on the floor, his eyes closed. He had lost all energy to move. But his finger tips were gently resting against Yami's warm flesh, their hands were clasped together. Although having been separated, they'd refused to let go of each other, the action had been subconscious. He knew it was Yami. He could sense it. Yugi had no energy left to contemplate it and all that he could do was let himself slip into the darkness of his unconscious.


End file.
